IT’S AN ADAGE YOU HEAR TIME AND AGAIN—LEO GOT IT
right the first time. Truly, when Leo Fender’s Precision Bass hit the market
in 1951, the bar for the electric bass—then a brand-new instrument—
was set pretty dang high. Subsequent design tweaks, including the shift to the
split pickup configuration in 1957 and the
option of a rosewood fingerboard in 1959, clinched
the iconic instrument’s status as the gold standard
for electric bass. Fender’s 1960 follow-up home run in the Jazz Bass makes it
easy to understand how
the nascent instrument—before such new-fangled
developments as active electronics, 5-strings,
6-strings, 11-strings, etc.—was once known ubiquitously
as the Fender Bass.
A lot has changed since those dinosaur days
of slab bodies, clay position markers, and “backwards”
tuners. But one thing remains: the mighty
Precision and venerated Jazz are still kings of the
castle in the Land of Down Low. Of course, there
are legitimate claims to the throne coming from
all sides. But bring a burly P or a sweet J to just
about any gig/session/rehearsal/hootenanny,
and you’re sure to get the nod of approval from
those in the know.
It was once a small cottage industry to take the
basic design of a Precision—and especially that of
a Jazz—and supercharge it using fancy woods, hitech
electronics, and a price tag that would make
most working stiff s blanch. Now it’s big business.
With a few exceptions, Fender has seemed a little
reluctant to move into that luxury market, choosing
instead to continue to cook up Leo’s tried-andtrue
original recipe while branching out mostly with
budget-minded takes on P- and J-Basses. With its
new Select Precision and Jazz Basses, Fender is throwing a bone to P and J
lovers looking for something
a little special.
SWEET P
First, a confession: I have a hard time finding P-style
instruments that speak to me. Turns out I’m more or
less a Jazz guy (though definitely not in the “Giant
Steps” sense of the word), partial to thin neck profiles and the scooped sound
I’ve come to associate
with Jazz Basses. In the Select Precision, I just might
have found a soul mate. Everything about the Select
P rubbed me the right way, from its impeccable handpolished
sunburst finish (on a luxurious flame maple
top, no less) to its comfortable satin-finish neck. I tend
to be persnickety about the tone pot on P-Basses—
after all, that’s pretty much the only tone control
you get on this relatively Spartan instrument—and
the smooth taper of the Select P’s pot afforded every
nuance I could want in a Precision, from dark, rich,
and buttery to zingy and aggressive. To be sure, I’ve
had pleasant experiences playing a variety of modern-
day Precisions, but in terms of playability and
tone, the Select felt and sounded and a cut above.
NEW J WAY
Chalk it up to the novelty of a the Select Precision—and the allure of all the
other sexy basses that pass through our office—but it actually took a little
time to warm up to the Select Jazz Bass. A J-Bass with a fancy maple top?
Been there, done that. Passive electronics, in these “Super-J” times? Yawn. And
yet, the beauty of the Select Jazz is that it is actually downright old-school
by
design, a throw-back to the days of old. The Select Jazz features many of the
same high-class accouterment as the Select Precision: hand-rubbed finish on a
maple top, an alder body, and a quartersawn maple neck. For the fingerboard,
Fender opted for rosewood with block bindings—a
nod to the coveted ’70s-era Jazz Basses.
Once I got over my misguided expectations of the
Select Jazz, I got it; the bass doesn’t have the bells and
whistles often found on so many upscale Jazz clones,
but what it does have is abundant evidence of master
craftsmanship and attention to detail, and solid proof
that Leo did get it right the first time (actually the
second time, but who’s counting?). If you’re looking
for an ultra-snappy, super-charged J-Bass active electronics,
there are lots of options out there. If you’re
looking for a top-notch Jazz—perhaps the best that
Fender has to offer, check out the Select Jazz.
When Fender re-vamped its American Standard
series of Basses in 2008, we dug where they were
going: back to basics. With the Select Precision and
Jazz, Fender is taking that tradition to the next level
with a limited number of instruments. Certainly,
you can get the job done just as well with Fender’s
less expensive models. But a touch of class goes a
long way; and if you’re looking for that extra-special
J or P, you owe it to yourself to check out Fender’s
Select series.
SPECIFICATIONS
FENDER
Fender Select Precision Bass
Street $2,300
Bottom Line A superior specimen of
the bass that started it all.
Fender Select Jazz Bass
Street $2,300
Bottom Line In a market cluttered with
fancy-pants clones, Fender sticks to
its game plan and knocks it out of the
park.
Contact fender.com
SELECT PRECISION BASS
Body Alder
Top Flame maple
Neck Quartersawn maple
Fingerboard Maple
Width at nut 1.625"
Radius Compound (9.5"–14")
Pickup Fender Select Precision splitcoil
Finish Gloss-lacquer 2-tone sunburst
Weight 8.8 lbs
Hardshell case Included
Made in U.S.A.
SELECT JAZZ BASS
Body Alder
Top Flame maple
Neck Quartersawn maple
Fingerboard Rosewood
Width at nut 1.5"
Radius Compound (9.5"–14")
Pickups Fender Select Jazz
Finish Gloss-lacquer Amber Burst
Weight 9.4 lbs
Hardshell case Included
Made in U.S.A.